


Morning Bells Are Ringing

by ARoyalJoker



Category: The Property of Hate
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Child Death, but is at least after the market, its fluffy in the first chapter at least folks, this is terribly self indulgent, when this is set is ambiguous on purpose
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-02
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:07:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22079692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ARoyalJoker/pseuds/ARoyalJoker
Summary: Sometimes its difficult to sleep. In a land where sleep is paramount, its best to use whatever aids that may be useful. Some read, some think, some watch the telly...And some need lullabies.
Relationships: RGB & Hero (TPoH)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 36





	1. Are you sleeping?

**Author's Note:**

> Sleep little hero, for tomorrow is a new day.

"I can't sleep."

Rgb resisted the urge to groan, nearly asleep himself. Still, though, he slowly powered up his screen again, looking towards the girl across from him. Any snappy words he'd might have momentarily died in his throat as he looked at her, curled up, sweater pulled over her knees and arms pulled in, eyes wide. There wasn't much light other than his own, and he tilted his head.

"I take it you want to watch TV again?" He asked dryly. She shifts around to fix him a stare, pausing as she seemingly debates with herself over something. “Well?”

“Actually… Can you sing?” The question takes a second to register, her voice quiet. The telly-heads antenna twitches as he registers the question.

"...And why would you want me to do that?" His tone is incredulous, but he does feel bad by the way she curls up on herself again. The small hero shrugs.

"...mum used to." She mutters it into the sweater. And… Something about it just… stabs into his chest. He shakes his head and shrugs his shoulders.

“What makes you think I can sing?”

“Market.”

...Damn it. Right. His dramatics. He doesn’t say anything for a moment, then leans his head back in contemplation.

“I don’t even think I know any lullabies.” He can feel her doubtful expression.

“If you don’t want to, you don’t have to.” He definitely doesn’t. She’s a big girl- She doesn’t need to be sung to sleep. But her sad and grudging tone… He sighs.

“Fine. Just this once.” He looks back down at her to see a bright smile, a thankful expression. He’s just doing this to get her to sleep. He racks his mind, trying to think of something to sing. As Hero adjusts herself to look at him better, holding her knees to her chest tighter, one finally comes to mind. He takes a moment, letting her settle, and begins. Voice unsure, but getting more steady, taking a gentle and quiet tone once he’s comfortable.

“Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques,  
Dormez-vous? Dormez-vous?  
Sonnez les matines, sonnez les matines  
Ding ding dong, ding ding dong.”

She lays down her head and closes her eyes, and despite himself, Rgb smiles at the child. She’s still not asleep though, so he continues, repeating the short song.

“Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques,  
Dormez-vous? Dormez-vous?  
Sonnez les matines, sonnez les matines  
Ding ding dong, ding ding dong.”

He’s more confident that she’s closer to sleep now, chest rising and falling carefully, eyes more relaxed and less forced shut. He’s nearly to the second line once more when her voice cuts in as a yawn, startling him into stopping.

“What does it mean?” It’s an innocent question, one he can’t help but giving a small chuckle to. He should have known she wouldn’t understand the words. He’s silent as he thinks for a moment, then starts to sing for a moment, more confident than his first attempt.

“Are you sleeping, are you sleeping?  
Brother John, Brother John?  
Morning bells are ringing, morning bells are ringing  
Ding ding dong, ding ding dong.”

He runs through the small verse a couple of times, switching from the french to the English and back again, voice growing quieter as she got deeper into sleep. It wasn’t long before his voice was barely above a whisper, watching his little hero as she now dreamed. The smile he had grown wouldn’t quite leave his face anymore, but now, he couldn't bring himself to care, adjusting himself once more for his own rest.

“Goodnight, hero.”


	2. Ding, Ding, Dong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goodnight, hero, for your last curtain call, is now.

It was his fault. It was all his damn fault. From the beginning, when he helped her off that bunk bed. It hurts my feet. He should have just told her to suck it up. Because from that first Just this once, he doomed himself to always making exceptions to his steadfast rules, the ones he specifically put into place, because this always happened. He should have known better.

He shouldn't have gotten attached.

The fears had swarmed them, and he hadn't been too worried at first. He thought he had enough to get them through safely. Then they managed to pull her away. He couldn't even see her until he'd gotten them off himself. There were only two on her, but for a small child, that was more than enough. They tore her apart. Nearly fully consumed her. She was crying- No. Sobbing. He didn't even think, using his last vial to combat them. But they had done their damage. She was falling apart, curled up.

Rgb is frozen, staring at Hero's not moving body. She was alive, by the fearful whimpers, but not for long. He couldn't even try- Dreams only did so much. She had lost so much of her color already.

He's sort of on autopilot when he shrugs off his jacket, kneeling next to the girl and oh so gently picking her up, and carefully wrapping her up like the simple cloth would be able to protect her from anything else that would wish her harm. She whimpers again.

"It hurts. Its- Cold."

"Shh, shh- I know, I know."

"Rgb- I’m scared."

It's easy to forget how young she really is. She's put on a brave face for so long in their journey. Made him laugh, made him worry. But she's a constant. One that he was losing.

"It'll be okay. It'll be okay." He's unnerved by how easily the lie slips out. But really, isn't it what she needs right now? Faced with something like this. He forces a smile. "You'll just… it'll be just like going to sleep for a while."

"I thought you didn't- did- don't like me…. Sl- sleeping near you?" If he had teeth, he'd be gritting them. His smile falls as he looks down at her pale face. "....Rgb?"

"Just this once, Hero. Just this once." He'd said that more times than he should, about more things than he should. And yet, here he was again. Letting her break down his boundaries he'd put up to protect himself from this. She closed her eyes at this point, scrunched up tight, and for a minute rgb thinks he's lost her. Then once more, she speaks.

"C-Can you… sing again? Please?" Its an innocent question. Just like it was the first time she asked it. And once again he finds himself breaking his promise of just this once.

"Alright. But. You have to help sing along. Think you can?" He tries to keep his tone cheery, but he knows something cracks. Her nod is more a subtle shift of her head, but he takes it

“Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques, Dormez-vous? Dormez-vous?" He waits, and slowly, she joins in, sweetly, but weakly.

"Frère Jacques, Frère Jacques, Dormez-vous? Dormez-vous?" She's looking up at him, squinting really, as she gives a full-body shudder.

"Very good, very good hero. Sonnez les matines, sonnez les matines.Ding ding dong, ding ding dong.”

"Sonnez les matines, sonnez les matines. Ding ding dong, ding ding dong.”

"There we go. See? How about we try together, hm?" They go through the song together, but neither can quite keep up the melody. She tries to curl up to him, but can't quite, so he pulls her even closer, shielding her from the open-air surrounding them. "Do you remember the English lyrics?"

"Y… yeah.."

"Let's try it, okay?"

"...."

"Are you sleeping, are you sleeping?"

"A- Are y-ou sleeping, are you sl- sleeping."

"Brother john? Brother john?"

"Brother… john… Brother… john…"

"The morning bells are ringing, the morning bells are ringing."

"The… mor...ning… b..ells… are… rin..g...ing…"

"Ding, ding, dong. Ding, ding dong."

"Ding… Ding… dong... Ding… din…."

"...Ding, ding, dong. Ding, ding, dong."

"..."

"Ding. Ding. Dong. Ding… ding… dong..."

"..."

But no bells were left to ring, for not even they can wake a child from their last sleep.


End file.
